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Sandy Hook Commission Tackles Autism Issues

A sign welcomes people in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 13, 2013. Families ask media outlets to stay away in respect of their need to be alone to mark the one year anniversary, on December 14, during which 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza went on a rampage at Sandy Hook elementary school, killing 20 children and six adults before turning a gun on himself. It appears that virtually all major US cable and network news organizations do not plan to have a presence in Newtown. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)Newtown. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The state commission looking into issues surrounding the Sandy Hook School massacre in Newtown plans to hear from experts in autism spectrum disorders.

Recently released documents show that gunman Adam Lanza had been diagnosed in 2006 with a profound autism disorder that included a “lack of comprehension of ordinary social interaction and communications.”

His father, Peter, told police that his son had Asperger’s syndrome, a type of autism that is not associated with violence.

Lanza killed 20 students and six educators at the school in December, 2012 after shooting his mother to death inside their home.

The 16-member commission is holding its 17th meeting Friday. It is charged with reviewing current state public safety policies and making recommendations about school safety, mental health, and gun violence prevention.